And then we come to the random stuff that always seems ot pop up at cons like this. I found a $2 bin that had a bunch of Fourth World stuff, and of course I couldn't resist. I netted New Gods 2, 6, 8, 9, 10, and 11; and Mister Miracle 12, 14, 15, 17, 18, 19, and 25. Who doesn't love some Jack Kirby awesomeness? Communists, that's who.

I also found the 2 issues of Marvel Spotlight starring Star Lord. Since I dig Star Lord in the new Annihilation books from Marvel, I decided to pick them up.

And finally, we have the kookiest of my acquisitions, the first two issues of Prez! That's right, the story of the teenage President, his Vice-President mom, and his Native American caricature of a head of the FBI! How can you not be entertained by that?

Alrighty, now we get to the meat of my purchases: those related to Green Arrow! Now, you've already seen the art I picked up, but now well go over the comics.

Firstly, I spent a good deal of the convention asking around for Green Lantern/Green Arrow 84 and 87, the only two I'm missing from that run. Unfortunately, no one had 87, but I did find a really nice copy of 84 for a very reasonable price.

Next, Luke and I found a really, really awesome booth with a metric ass ton of Bronze Age dollar bins. In it, I found a bunch of World's Finest 100 Page Dollar Comics, starring Green Arrow and Black Canary, among others. I picked up 244, 245, 246, 247, 248, 252, 253, and 257. Blogging material, ahoy!

Finally, I found several issues of the 80's series by Mike Grell, specifically issues 39, 58, and Anuual 5. I found a good number of booths with that series in stock, but unfortunately I forgot my list on Saturday, and I didn't want to risk wasting a ton of money.

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You know, the odd thing about this con is that while I got a TON of comics, I really didn't spend all that much money. Most of my purchases were out of $1, $.50, and $.25 bins. I was especially impressed by the MASSIVE amount of Bronze Age books that one booth had. I could have spent my entire budget there with no problem!

PS: Oh, and all of this is in addition to the ENTIRE LONGBOX full of JLA, Wonder Woman, and various other titles I got for free from a friend of mine on the CGS forums. I have reading materials for MONTHS!

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Normally, I'm not a huge art collector, but if HeroesCon is anything, its an artists show. There was art everywhere, and I couldn't help but join in. Here's a rundown of what I ended up with.

Above is the free print we got for pre-registering, all individually signed by Darwyn Cooke himself! What more could you ask for?

This is a print I got from the super awesome booth of Hallboy Productions. Not only did I get this amazing bit of GA art, but if you look below, you can see all the mini prints I got as well. All of these are about the size of a playing card, but have a ton of detail. You'll notice that Ritchie Hall, the artist, must be a big GA fan, since he did 3 separate versions of him. I got the GA piece in the middle as a button to wear on my lanyard, in addition to the Doc Strange one I picked up initially.

Ritchie was nice enough to throw in that awesome Black Lightning mini print for free, since I picked up so much of his stuff. I'm particularly pleased with the GA stuff, and especially Black Manta!

And then we come to this. This utterly amazing piece of original Green Arrow art is from indie artist Avery Butterworth, who posts on some of the same forums that I do. He did the sketch before the show, so all I had to do was pick it up. Gaze in awe folks, gaze in awe.

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

So, we're back with another installment of the After Action report for Heroescon 2008. Yesterday we covered the creators and cosutmers I spotted during the Con, this insallment will cover the DC Nation Panel, which I attended on Saturday.

Luke, Joe and I hit the floor pretty hard on Saturday morning, snatching up $1 issues, signatures, and original art (to be covered later this week). At about 11:30, we headed upstairs to get good seats for the DC Nation panel at noon.Attendees, pictured from left to right, were Matt Sturges, writer on Blue Beetle and House of Mystery, Ethan van Sciver, artist for Green Lantern and related books, Jimmy Palmiotti, writer for Jonah Hex and inker for just about everything, and Jann Jones, who heads up DC's all ages line. Dan Didio was also present (but not pictured) behind the podium. Also present was a box of Moon Pies, which got thrown at/to people who asked ridiculous questions.

Things got started really quickly, with Mr. Didio moving through the various happenings in the DC Universe, and then asking the crowd what they liked. Luke got in on the game by announcing his love for Outsiders loud and proud, telling Didio that he really appreciated that pacing and the action.

He also took a question from a Spoiler fan who was apparently not satisfied that her favorite character was undeadified and given a one shot earlier this year. This really got my goat, as one of my favorite characters is dead (Aquaman), another just got stabbed to death (Martian Manhunter), another hasn't had his own ongoing in over a decade (Doctor Strange) and my main man needs his wife to support his series (GA). Oh well.

A few more highlights:

Aquaman (young version) will be seen in Final Crisis, while the classic version may be making an appearance as well--In answer to "will a Flash die in Final Crisis"

"Quite the opposite, actually"--The suggestion that Rip Hunter may be an older version of Booster Gold was met with stunned silence from everyone in the room, including the panel. Didio quickly (and understandably) changed the subject.--Catwoman will be moving over to Detective now that her ongoing has been canceled--Luke asked if DC planned more odd books like The War That Time Forgot, Tor, and House of Mystery. Didio assured him that while there won't be a ton, there will be books to feed that market as long as it exists.--A question about Bart Allen's return to the DCU was quickly diverted--Ethan van Sciver heavily implied that he will be working on a Flash book soon--The deaths of the New Gods in Countdown represents the last hurrah of Jack Kirby's Fourth World, with Final Crisis ushering in the Fifth.--Tiny Titans and the rest of the kids line are doing really well, which is good to hear.--Mr. Didio refused comment on whether he could take Chuck Dixon in a fight.--Unfortunately, I did not get to ask my question about the possibility of anthology books for characters who can't support a book on there own. Luke and I thought that Hawkman and the Atom, and Aquaman and Martian Manhunter would be a good start.

As a final note, as a preface to answering the question about Catwoman, Didio reminded the audience that if a book doesn't sell, they have to cancel it. I took that as a zing to the crazy people who rant about their favorite book that no one reads getting canceled, and not against the woman asking the question, especially since she started off acknowledging the cancellation with aplomb, and was only asking if her favorite character still had a place in the DCU. Apparently certain other comic blogging personalities took it differently, so I thought I would put in my two cents.

Monday, June 23, 2008

Heroescon, held annually in Charlotte, North Carolina, attracts thousands of people from all over the country. This year, one of those people was yours truly. I'd never been to a large scale, comics-only convention before this one, so this was a new experience for me. And what an experience it was! Here's a short run down of what I saw at the con:

This is me and shining star Darwyn Cooke, author and artist of the DC: New Frontier miniseries, which was recently made into an animated movie. Mr. Cooke was kind enough to sign my copy of the aforementioned miniseries, for which I am eternally grateful! (Later, we accidentally held up Mr. Cooke on the escalator down to the con. Whoops!)

Here's me and Robert Kirkman, writer for Invincible, the Astounding Wolfman, Walking Dead, and numerous others. Mr. Kirkman was really great to everyone in line, and signed my first printing of Invincible, volume 1.

Here's non-blogging friend Joe, Green Lantern artist Ethan van Sciver, and riffing bot Tom Servo! I have no idea why van Sciver brought a Tom Servo puppet with him to the con, but I don't care, because its awesome! Mr. van Sciver signed Joe's copy of Green Lantern: Rebirth, and a print, which Joe didn't let go of once until he got it home.

Luke and I got a nice surprise while we were waiting for Joe to finish up with Mr. van Sciver. None other than DC Comics' Editor-in-Chief Dan Didio himself stopped by! Luke and I snagged a handshake from Mr. Didio before he had to go.

Here's the first creator Luke and I met on Friday, Al Feldstein! Mr. Feldstein was one of the top artists at EC comics for a number of years, working on famous books like Tales from the Crypt. Luke is a huge horror fan and was really excited to meet Mr. Feldstein. I also have to say that Al was one of the nicest comic industry people I've ever met. Thanks, Mr Feldstein!

Although there were fewer costumers out than I had initially thought there would be, there were a few fine examples walking around. For instance, here we have JLAer Ice! Unfortunately her friend Fire was nowhere to be found...

Marvel heroes also got in on the game, as evidenced by the Winsome Wasp! Luckily, Ms. van Dyne was not using her powers at the time, or this picture might have been much more difficult to shoot!

Here we have fellow blogger Luke, with his favorite hero, Iron Man! Fresh from his recent major motion picture release, Mr. Stark diligently patrolled the con in search of evil doers. (This guy's costume was amazing. He even had LED's in his palms to represent Iron Man's repulsor rays!)

I wasn't aware that Charlotte was a hotspot for the paranormal, but apparently there was somethign going on, as the Ghostbusters were out in full force!

And finally, we have the most mysterious hero present at the Con, The Question. Funny, I didn't expect Vic Sage to be quite so...shapely.

Also met, but not pictured, were artists Cliff Chiang and Michael Golden, who were kind enough to sign my copies of Green Arrow/Black Canary #1 and Doctor Strange #55, respectively.

Hey guys! I got back from HeroesCon last night, and wow, what a trip! I hope you like con reports, because its going to take the next week or so of posts to chronicle everything I saw, bought, and experienced. I even have some low quality video I took at the DC Nation panel. I got plenty of Green Arrow swag, so stay tuned!

Thursday, June 19, 2008

Hey guys, working on the Count Vertigo post got me thinking about somehting. Most superheroes/villains use a code name to hide their real identity. I've been trying to come up withn a list of such people who use their real name, instead. (Let's ignore gods and the like, since they rarely need secret IDs)

Sof far, my list is:

Count Vertigo (he's a count, his last name is Vertigo)Doctor Strange (he's a Doctor, his last name is Strange)Zatanna (full name: Zatanna Zatara)Doctor Light (evil version, again a Doctor, last name Light)Maxima (that's her name)...I'm sure there are others I'm not thinking about...

Modus Operandi: Costumed criminal, occasional government operative, former head of state.

Powers/Equipment: Special implant in his inner ear allows Vertigo to disrupt the inner ear of others, upsetting their sense of balance, and inducing nausea. Can also disrupt the aim of gunmen and the guidance system on missiles.

Backstory: Count Werner Vertigo was born into the royal family of the small Eastern European nation of Vlatava. He suffered from a congenital condition of the inner ear that disrupted his balance. Eventually, he had a device installed in his ear canal that compensated for the disorder, allowing him to live a normal life. One day, while tinkering with the device, he learned he could use it to affect the balance of others as well.

He first took up the costume of "Count Vertigo" after his country was invaded and taken over by the Soviet Union. He made his way to Star City, attempting to steal back some of the family jewels his parents had been forced to sell when they fled the country. This marked his first clash with famed archer Green Arrow. It would not be the last.

Later, he joined the government sponsored Suicide Squad, performing dangerous, covert missions for the US Government in exchange for an early release. It was during this period that he began to suffer from severe bi-polar disorder, exacerbated by the drugs that Vlatavan revels, and later villainess Poison Ivy, pumped into his system. His condition worsened to the point that he asked teammate Deadshot to end his life.

Fortunately for Werner, Deadshot suggested he think long and hard about what he was asking for. Werner eventually decided against suicide, realizing that it conflicted with his relgiious beliefs and would ruin his chances at an afterlife. Filled with new purpose, he returned to his nation of birth, and as the last surviving member of the royal family, overthrew the Soviet backed dictatorship and emerged as the country's new ruler.

Unfortunately, this situation was not to last. Soon after taking the throne, his country was visited by an unhinged Spectre, who ended up wiping Vlatava off the map, leaving only Vertigo and one other alive.

After this setback, Werner sought a rematch with Green Arrow. Defeated again, he joined the new Injustice Society, along with nemesis Poison Ivy. He considered killing her, but instead opted to put the feud behind him.

Currently, Count Vertigo works as the White Knight to Amanda Waller's White Queen in the UN sponsored Checkmate organization. His most recent mission was to capture the villains responsible for the death of Bart Allen, the 4th Flash.

Monday, June 16, 2008

Synopsis: As Green Arrow and Speedy vacation near Crow Mountain. Suddenly, a report comes over the radio that a group of scientists is stranded nearby. Hopping into the Arrowplane, Green Arrow uses a "Two Way Radio" Arrow to communicate with the scientists on the ground., Since the area is far to rough to land the arrow plane, GA tries another tactic. Using his superior acrobatic skills, he hangs off a rope and grabs each scientist on the fly.

Soon after, a storm blows in and damages the Arrowplane. Forced to pout down in a cave, Ollie determines that the plane will take at least several hgours to fix. Just then, they're surrounded by angry Indian braves! They fire a mulitutde of arrows at our heroes, but are finally driven off by a net arrow, a rope arrow, and a siren arrow.

Puzzled, Ollie eventually figures out that the braves are part of a tribe that was driven into this valley long ago, and has been without contact with the outside world ever since. We later learn that both the medicine man and the chief of the tribe are perfectly aware of how the outside world has changed, but are hiding it from the rest of their people, because they would lose all their power if their tribe ran off to the modern world.

In order to get rid of Green Arrow and his outside influence, the duo convince the tribe that GA may be the "legendary" (in quotes because they made up the legend on the spot) "Greatest Archer of the Tribe." They challenge Ollie to prove that he is the greatest archer by passing the "legendary" test: he must fire an arrow at the full moon and cause the sky to burst forth in rain and thunder. If he fails, he will be killed as an impostor.

Of course, the test is a set up. The moon is only a quarter full and there's not a cloud in the sky. Ever resourceful, Ollie uses a "Two Stage Rocket" Arrow and a "Glowing Balloon" arrow to simulate the full moon, a "Firecracker" arrow to simulate thunder, and a (sigh) "Dry Ice" Arrow to seed the clouds and cause rain.

Having passed the test, Ollie, Speedy and the scientists are allowed to leave, taking the tribe with them. The medicine man and the chief disappear, frightened of what the tribe will do now that their lies have been exposed.

Thoughts: Tons of silly trick arrows in this one, that's for sure! Seriously, a dry ice arrow? The stereotypical "Indians" would probably not fly with a modern audience, but hey, it was the 50's. Also, we get some Arrowplane action, and that's never a bad thing!

Saturday, June 14, 2008

Greetings Arrowheads! I have a special Saturday Dispatch for you. A first for the Arrowcave, in fact! Mike Norton, current artist for Green Arrow Black Canary, was kind enough to answer a few questions for us!

How long have you been into comics? What comic drew you in? What's your favorite character/team?

I've been into comics since before I could read. I learned to read from old John Romita and Ross Andru Spider-Man comics. So Spidey would naturally be my fave. A close second would've been Xmen.

When did you begin drawing comics? What was your first professional work?

I was drawing comics not long after I started reading them, but my first professional work wasn't until 1997. I drew a book called The Badger for Image comics. That was my first big break.Who do you feel is your main artistic influence?

I don't know if I have a main one. I'm certainly influenced by many artists. I grew up drawing on a steady diet of John Byrne, John Romita Sr. and Jr. I do thing they have stayed with me in the basic way I draw to this day.What was the process behind you joining the Green Arrow/Black Canary team? Was it something you actively sought out, or were you assigned to it?

I didn't seek it out. I was actually waiting around to start Trinity when Mike Carlin asked if I'd be interested in doing a couple of issues of GA/BC with the possibility of more. I can't say no to anything, and I really like the idea of doing regular series. Green Arrow is a really cool character.Are you currently working on anything else for DC? Other companies?

Just Trinity at DC. I'm exclusive with them until next year, so nothing for Marvel or anything.What are your thoughts on Green Arrow as a character, what do you feel are his strengths/weaknesses?

I really like the character. He's a Han Solo kinda character that I really can get into. All the advantages of Batman but a sense of humor to go with it. The humor is a big thing for me. Drawing a super cool badass is alright, but it's the snarky banter that makes you really associate with the character.How detailed is Judd Winick with his scripts? Is he one of those writers that describes every detail, or does he allow the artist more freedom?

Judd's are pretty normal for me. Not much different than other writers I've worked with in regards of detail. They're very concise and cinematic.I know from your participation on the Comic Geek Speak boards that you're very deeply involved in the comic fan community. Do you feel its important for artists to be involved with the fans?

I think it's up to the artist. I do it because I enjoy participating. It's fun to be around like minded people. Of course I think that people like having a sense of accessibility with creators and that's the great thing about the internet.

Thanks again Mike! For more Mike Norton, check out upcoming issues of DC's Trinity weekly series, in addition to his work on Green Arrow/Black Canary.

Friday, June 13, 2008

Have you ever been trapped in a block of ice? Have you ever had hedges that need trimming, but didn't feel like going into the shed for a weed-whacker?

Well, then this little number is perfect for you: The Buzzsaw Arrow! It chops wood, it cuts through ice, it weeds your garden, and it definitely isn't self-indulgent (despite what Black Canary might have to say)

Backstory: Initially a low level enforcer in the Star City underworld, Danny "Brick" Brickwell used his keen criminal mind and impressive physical prowess to become undisputed ruler of the city's criminal element.

Concerned that a new player was horning in on their territory, Star City's current criminal overlords invited Brick to dinner for a chat. They threatened to kill him unless they were given a cut of his profits. In response, he had the building leveled with a missile, killing everyone inside. Except, that is, Danny Brickwell, who used his invulnerability to escape unharmed.

Arrested for murder, Brick proved himself above the law by killing the mayor and district attorney of Star City with a suicide bomber. Still not done, he bribed the new mayor's security detail and had her infant daughter kidnapped. With both the police and Green Arrow unable to find the child, the authorities were forced to release Brick.

Soon after, he was confronted by Green Arrow, who challenged him to a duel for control of the city. Unable to pierce Brick's invulnerable hide with his standard arrows, Ollie fired a fast drying glue arrow straight down the villain's throat. Unable to breath, he quickly gave up, but not before Ollie took the time to gloat over his victory.

After Dr. Light and Merlyn destroyed most of Star City, Green Arrow discovered Brick fighting crime in the ruined sections of the city. After working together to stop the flow of a new drug into the city, Green Arrow discovered that Brick was only fighting certain kinds of crime, namely the ones he wasn't running himself.

Pros: Incredible array of accressories, including trick arrows and plane and car models. Good articulation

Cons: Paint application could be better, more trick arrows!

Thoughts: Now I finally have a boxing glove arrow to call my very own. Sure, it won;t be taking down any criminals, but its mine! Plus, I have super cool models for the Arrowcar and Arrowplane. Who knew anyone at DC even remembered those things existed? The figures themselves are pretty cool, but nothing spectacular. The real meat of this set is the accessories.

Friday, June 6, 2008

Ever needed to detain a criminal, but the handcuff arrow just wasn't cutting it? Ever found yourself fishing and in need of extra euipment that can be fired from a bow?

Well then, the net arrow is the right product for you! Simply aim it at a fleeing criminal or tasty fish (just watch out for Aquaman!) and let loose! Your quarry will be enveloped in a fine mesh, and you can nab him at you leisure!

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

I found this gem on Ebay a couple weeks ago. I never new this set even existed, and of course I had to pick it up as soon as I saw it. Not only does this set contain both Green Arrow AND Speedy but also both the Arrowplane and the Arrowcar. Its like GA fan heaven!

Now, I haven't actually opened the box yet, because I'm afraid the cats will run off with the Arrowplane and I'll never find it again, but I'll be cracking this sucker open later this week. I'll get you a full report then.

Monday, June 2, 2008

Thoughts: Well, Grant Morrison's magnum opus is here and...it was actually pretty good. I thought it got a bit choppy in places, especially the parts with Anthro and Kamandi. I'm also not a huge fan of Morrison's Seven Soldiers New Gods, but other than that, a fun read.

Lots of awesome happened. We had to ever pugnacious Dan Turpin trying to punch out Darkseid, John Stewart actually working as an architect, Oan quarantine procedures, Metron playing Prometheus and the death of a legend.

That was one part of the book that just didn't do it for me. J'onn just kind of...gets stabbed. I know it was supposed to be a quick, brutal end to shock the superhero world, but I don't appreciate how little fanfare it gets within the book itself. Not only is J'onn in his new, rather unpopular form when he dies, but he only gets one freaking panel. We don't even get the ubiquitous shot of the body lying on the floor!

I know it sounds like I'm complaining a lot about a book I claimed to enjoy, but I'm just highlighting what I felt were weaknesses in an otherwise interesting book. Overall, I'm excited to see ho this plays out.

Also: A Mirror Master, Doctor Light team up? How has no one thought of this before?!

Ollie Watch: Of course it would be Green Arrow who goes on TV to rant about the death of his friend and make threatening remarks to his killers. You go Ollie!